Monthly Archives: July 2012

For many years comparing cheap to purchase, expensive to run inkjet printers against expensive to purchase, moderately cheaper to run laser printers was a dilemma for many. However more recently the picture of which type of printer to choose might just have become a lot clearer, along with the pages it produces.

After much needed investment, the technology of inkjet has evolved from the gas guzzling pickup into an efficient, economical diesel hatchback. What has changed is the way the wet inkjet ink spreads on the paper as it dries (the less it spreads, the sharper both text and graphics will look), resulting in an improvement in quality and efficiency, making it a viable option for businesses once again.

So when a recent product test between a few Inkjets and one laser printer took place in The Sunday Times’, In Gear supplement, we were very excited to see the results. And all we can say is wow! From the products tested the laser printer was printing black and white at a cost 3p per page and a massive 18.8p for colour. Compare that to the Inkjets prices between 1.1 – 3.2p for black and white and 4.3 – 7.9p for colour, it leaves you wondering how the Laserjet will remain the dominant chose when considering a new printer.

And of those Inkjets tested in In Gear’s product test, Epson’s Workforce Pro WP-4525 DNF was awarded the only 5 star rating, with a verdict of fast, versatile and cheap to run. This was down to the 1.1p for black and white and 4.3p for colour running costs, as well as the speed of the printer which can produce nearly 14 pages a minute whilst not compromising on quality, producing crisp black text and bright colours. It’s the Ferrari, Prius and Rolls Royce of its class.

For the Workforce Pro WP-4525’s printing is not its only talent, it also has a scanner and copier included, which produce results similar to the printer, making this product a great investment for any business.

Whilst we’ve been talking a lot recently about the new Intel processors we don’t want to overlook AMD’s latest offering. Last month AMD announced its second-generation A-Series mobile processor, code named Trinity, which you’ll see in notebooks branded as AMD Vision A4, A6, A8 and A10.

The all new architecture features dual or quad cores which AMD claims will offer up to a 29% improvement in productivity performance over the cores found in its predecessor, Llano. Battery life is a big focus of the new chips – AMD claims 11 hours of resting battery life and five hours of video playback.

There’s a comprehensive comparison of the new AMD A-series versus Intel Ivy Bridge on PC Advisor, where they summarise that If you require a mobile powerhouse with the best processing performance possible, an Intel quad-core i7 will be your better bet. But if you’re a gamer or want longer battery life in your laptop, AMD has an edge over Intel. Click here to read the full review.

The A Series range will be available to buy as stand-alone components from early June so keep a look out to see exactly what HP, Samsung and other pc manufacturers will do with them.

So we’ve had a couple of posts now that have demonstrated the benefits of using Original HP Toner but we know that for any business the primary concern will generally always boil down to cost, everyone is looking for best value for money these days and that’s why HP has created a range of cartridge options to suit different users and maximise value.

HP X Cartridges – Save time by changing your toner less frequently using HP X cartridges. These high capacity toners will not only need to be changed less often but could also allow you to save up to 35%*

HP Dual Packs – Alternatively save up to 10%** with Original HP LaserJet printer toner cartridge multipacks compared to their standalone counterparts. With a dual pack, you save time by not having to purchase new cartridges and you have a spare cartridge on hand so important print jobs aren’t delayed.

** Based on comparison of HP published yield and HP recommended retail prices of individual Original HP Cartridges vs. dual packs. Actual prices may vary. Actual yields vary based on printer used, images printed and other factors. See: http://www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies for more information.